SB1341-16-RQ-0734.pdf

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN

ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES

FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL -AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A

SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE

SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER

FAR 13.5.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-89-1.

1352.215-72 INQUIRIES (APR 2010)

Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing, via email, to both the Contract Specialist (christopher.mcgucken@nist.gov) and the Contracting Officer (Lynda.Roark@nist.gov).

Questions shall be received no later than two (2) calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation.

All responses to the questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, on the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract. (end of provision)

1. BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) requires a confocal optical microscope (COM) system with high resolution for imaging and metrology of epitaxial graphene grown on SiC substrates. This requirement differs from the other primary application for COM systems is in the biological sciences where it is often combined with fluorescent labeling and live cell imaging. Such capabilities are not required for the study of inorganic materials in our laboratory. This COM system is significantly different from confocal systems used for Raman microscopy, and a Raman or any other type of spectrometer is not required.

All items must be new. Prototypes, first articles, demonstration models, used, refurbished or otherwise developmental systems, will not be considered for award.

2. CONTRACT LINE ITEMS

All offerors shall provide a quotation for the following line item:

CLIN 0001 (Firm-Fixed Price): One (1) Confocal Optical Microscope (COM) System capable of meeting or exceeding all of the requirements described in section 3, delivery, installation and warranty.

3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

3.1 GENERAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.

3.1.1 The COM system offered shall be fully automated and capable of acquiring large, detailed in-focus images from selected depths near the sample surface, a process known as optical sectioning.

3.1.2 The system shall have a highly focused light source scanning at high speeds in the XY direction to permit one to obtain images of planes at various depths near the sample surface (sets of such images are also known as Z stacks).

3.1.3 The system shall allow for planar images to be acquired point-by-point and combined images shall be reconstructed with a computer, allowing three-dimensional (3D) imaging and surface profiling.

3.1.4 The system shall have top-down reflected-light imaging. Inverted sample geometry is not acceptable due to the intervening glass support. Transmitted light imaging is also not acceptable so that substrate defects do not obscure the image.

3.1.5 The COM system shall have a user-programmable sampling density and resolution limited by the wavelength of the light, such that the imaging system gives high spatial resolution. The COM imaging system will be used to resolve micron-scale features in the graphene that differ by less than 1% in reflectivity; thus the brightness of the light source and the sensitivity of the detector are critical.

3.1.6 The objective lens shall have a high numerical aperture (NA) value approaching 1.0 and the objective must achieve this NA value when operated in air. (The numerical aperture of a microscope objective is a common measure of its ability to gather light and resolve fine specimen detail at a fixed object distance.) Enhanced vertical resolution below 10 nanometers is a secondary objective in order to resolve the step heights of atomically-flat SiC terraces on the substrate surface. This resolution may be obtained using additional optical components to supplement the confocal optical system.

3.1.7 The range of magnification shall be from 5× to 100× for short focal length imaging. At the highest magnification of 100x, the supplied objective lens shall have a numerical aperture (NA) value approaching 1.0 and the objective must achieve this NA value when operated in air. (The numerical aperture of a microscope objective is a common measure of its ability to gather light and resolve fine specimen detail at a fixed object distance.)

All included optical objectives shall be mounted on the microscope and ready for use.

3.1.8 A fully automated motorized sample stage shall be required so that large sample areas can be imaged without operator assistance, with automatic image stitching functions to create high-resolution, wide-field image data. The optical head shall have at least 100mm vertical travel in order to accommodate a range of sample holders, such that maximum sample height is 100mm or greater. Samples are produced on SiC substrates of typical size 1 cm2, which are obtained from highly polished wafers.

3.2 REQUIREMENTS OF THE OPTICAL SYSTEM.

3.2.1 Shall allow for imaging of highly reflective samples.

3.2.2 Shall have short focal objective lenses with magnification factors including, at a minimum, at least 5x, 20x, 50x, and 100x; having numerical aperture of a minimum of

0.90 at 50x, and 0.95 at 100x when operated in air. Additional technical merit will be assigned to systems who objective lenses with higher numerical aperture at these magnification levels.

3.2.3 Shall have integrated automatic vertical scanning with user-controlled variable scanning step size. The minimum resulting vertical resolution shall be 10 nm or less using the confocal 100x objective.

3.2.4 Shall have a lateral (x-y) resolution of 140 nm or less when using the confocal 100x objective. Systems with lateral resolutions below 140 nm will be assigned additional technical consideration.

3.2.5 Shall have modes for imaging adjacent surface areas of the x-y position, and scanning these areas to produce multiple images using PC control, and stitching together these images to form a single image at least 100 times larger than the area of a single image, such that the output image accurately depicts the position and reflected intensity of sample features for the combined surface.

3.3 REQUIREMENTS FOR SAMPLE ILLUMINATION AND IMAGE ACQUISTION

SYSTEM.

3.3.1 Shall have one (1) or more narrow-bandwidth, high-brightness light sources with wavelength 480 nm or less, with additional light source(s) capable of providing additional color information. Additional technical merit will be given to systems with wavelengths shorter than 480nm.

3.3.2 Shall have a high quantum efficiency light detector for confocal images, the light detector shall have 12-bit or better resolution for data conversion.

3.3.3 Shall have automatic modes for focus adjustment and brightness adjustment, with user-selectable data acquisition mode to allow trade-off between high speed and fine detail.

3.3.4 Shall store all image data in high-resolution format, with a minimum of 1000 x 1000 pixels screen resolution. The data generated shall be available for export and analysis.

One (1) or more export formats must be compatible for use with Microsoft Excel and ImageJ software packages.

3.4 REQUIREMENTS FOR SAMPLE SUPPORT AND POSITING SYSTEM

3.4.1 Shall have automatic motorized sample stage for lateral (x-y) positing with range of motion at least 50 mm in both the x and y directions.

3.4.2 Shall have a platform for the manual rotation of sample allowing alignment of sample edge with direction of either x or y axis.

3.4.3 Shall have a fully automatic lateral positing system, to allow for a sequence of images to be obtained over a rectangular sample area and integrated into a single image when used with the COM system software.

3.4.4 Shall have a vertical height adjustment that allows higher height samples (up to 100 mm from base to imaged area) to be used with the included 50x or greater magnification long-focal length lens.

3.5 REQUIREMENTS FOR PC CONTROL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

3.5.1 The contractor shall provide a PC, equipped with the Windows 7 operating system or newer version, suitable for running the software of the proposed system.

3.5.2 The system software shall be designed for the Microsoft Windows operating systems.

3.5.3 The system shall be accompanied by a computer monitor compatible with the system software, the monitor shall have a resolution suitable to display full detail and resolution of the COM system images.

3.5.4 All system imaging and control software shall be included and installed for the product offered.

3.5.5 The system provided shall have commercially available software updates. These software updates shall be included for the duration of the warranty.

4. DOCUMENTATION

The Contractor shall provide an operator’s manual describing operation and care, and calibration for the offered system. NIST will accept electronic format in lieu of hardcopy.

5. DELIVERY:

FOB Destination delivery terms are requested. Delivery shall be completed within ninety (90) days from the date of an award. The Contractor shall deliver all equipment to NIST, Building 301, Shipping and Receiving, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640.

FOB Destination Defined: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery.

6. INSTALLATION:

Within thirty (30) days from the date of delivery agreed on by the contractor and the TPOC [TBD], The Contractor shall install the system in the, Building 218, Room F001-1, on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, MD.

Installation shall include, at a minimum, uncrating/un-packaging of all equipment, set-up and hook-up of all equipment, start-up, and demonstration of operation. Technical personnel experienced with the system shall install the system and perform all activities necessary to ensure the system is fully functional and meets all required specifications.

Installation shall be included in the total firm-fixed price.

7. TRAINING:

The Contractor shall schedule and conduct a two (2) hour training for up to three (3) NIST personnel, on-site at NIST Gaithersburg campus. Training shall include explanation and demonstration of operating procedures necessary for calibration and process control of all COM and interferometry mode, in addition the training shall include basic troubleshooting for the offered system.

The training may be completed at NIST immediately after installation, however must be completed not later than 30 days after installation.

Installation and training must be scheduled, in advance, with the NIST Technical Point of Contact

(TPOC) [TBD].

Training shall be included in the total firm-fixed price.

8. WARRANTY:

The vendor shall submit warranty documentation with their quotation. The equipment shall be warranted for a minimum of one (1) year following system acceptance by the Government. The warranty shall include all parts, labor, and travel expenses necessary for on-site repairs.

System warranty shall be included in the total firm-fixed price.

9. CONTRACT PAYMENT

The Government will pay the Contractor only the firm-fixed-price delineated in the section 2 above, upon successful competition (inclusive of delivery, installation, and training), as determined by the TPOC [TBD] and upon submission of a proper invoice. Proper invoice submission includes following the invoice instructions below.

INVOICE INSTRUCTIONS

The Contractor shall submit all invoices in the manner specified below:

42. NIST LOCAL_40 BILLING INSTRUCTIONS FOR DELIVERY/TASK ORDERS

(a) The Contractor shall submit an original invoice or voucher in accordance with the payments provisions of this contract to the address identified in Block 21 of the OF347.

(b) Each invoice or voucher submitted shall include the following:

(1) Contract Number; identified in Block 2 of the OF347.

(2) Delivery/Task Order Number identified in Block 3 of the OF347.

(3) Contractor Name and Address.

(4) Date of Invoice.

(5) Invoice Number.

(6) Amount of Invoice, and cumulative amount invoiced to-date.

(7) Contract Line Item Number (CLIN).

(8) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price of supplies/services delivered.

(9) Prompt payment discount terms, if offered.

(10) Any other information or documentation required by the contract.

(END OF CLAUSE)

10. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES:

52.204-7, System for Award Management 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting 52.204-17, Ownership or Control of Offeror

52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (April 2016) The offeror shall complete only paragraphs (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) Web site accessed through http://www.acquisition.gov . If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (r) of this provision.

52.225-6, Trade Agreements Certificate

Trade Agreements Certificate (May 2014)

(a) The offeror certifies that each end product, except those listed in paragraph (b) of this provision, is a U.S.-made or designated country end product, as defined in the clause of this solicitation entitled “Trade Agreements.”

(b) The offeror shall list as other end products those supplies that are not U.S.-made or designated country end products.

Other End Products:

Line Item No. Country of Origin [List as necessary]

(c) The Government will evaluate offers in accordance with the policies and procedures of Part 25 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. For line items covered by the WTO GPA, the Government will evaluate offers of U.S.-made or designated country end products without regard to the restrictions of the Buy American statute. The Government will consider for award only offers of U.S.-made or designated country end products unless the Contracting Officer determines that there are no offers for such products or that the offers for those products are insufficient to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation.

(End of provision)

52.225-18, Place of Manufacture;

Offerors shall complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

52.225-25, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Sanctioned Activities Relating to Iran Representation by Corporations Regarding an Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction Under Any Federal Law (Class Deviation) (March 2015)

(1) In accordance with Sections 744 and 745 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235), none of the funds made available by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 funding may be used to enter into a contract with any corporation that-

(a) Was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where an awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless the agency has considered http://www.acquisition.gov/ https://www.acquisition.gov/far/html/FARTOCP25.html#wp225048 suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government, or

(b) Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

(2) The Offeror represents that, as of the date of this offer-

(a) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

(b) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability.

(End of provision) 52.203-98, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements—Representation (DEVIATION 2015-02)

Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements— Representation (FEB 2015)

(a) In accordance with section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Resolution Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235), Government agencies are not permitted to use funds appropriated (or otherwise made available) under that or any other Act for contracts with an entity that requires employees or subcontractors of such entity seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or subcontractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

(b) The prohibition in paragraph (a) of this provision does not contravene requirements applicable to Standard Form 312, Form 4414, or any other form issued by a Federal department or agency governing the nondisclosure of classified information.

(c) Representation. By submission of its offer, the Offeror represents that it does not require employees or subcontractors of such entity seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or subcontractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

(End of provision)

CLAUSES

52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights (Apr 2014) 52.203-99 Prohibition of Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements (Deviation 2015-02) 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance

52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance 52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications (Dec 2014) 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders— Commercial Items (MAR 2015) including sub-paragraphs:

52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), Alternate I 52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First Tier Contract awards 52.209-10 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations 52.219-4 Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) 52.219-28 Post Award Small Business Program Representation 52.222-3 Convict Labor 52.222-19 Child Labor – Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities;

52.222-26 Equal Opportunity 52.222-3 Equal Opportunity for Veterans;

52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities;

52.222-37 Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016) 52.222-40 Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) 52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) 52.223-18 Contractor Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving;

52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management 52.232-39 Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payment to Small Business Subcontractors 52.247-35 F.O.B. Destination, Within Consignee’s Premises 52.225-5 Trade Agreements

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference. All CAR clauses may be viewed at: http://farsite.hill.af.mil/VFCARA.HTM

1352.201-70, Contracting Officer's Authority 1352.209-73, Compliance With the Laws 1352.209-74 Organizational Conflict of Interest

1352.246-70 PLACE OF ACCEPTANCE (APR 2010)

Assurance by Corporations Regarding an Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction Under Any Federal Law (Class Deviation) (March 2015)

1352.233-70 AGENCY PROTESTS (APR 2010)

(a) An agency protest may be filed with either (1) the Contracting Officer, or (2) at a level above the Contracting Officer, with the agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999).

(b) Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address:

NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION

ATTN: LYNDA ROARK, CONTRACTING OFFICER

100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 http://farsite.hill.af.mil/VFCARA.HTM

(c) Agency protests filed with the Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address:

NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION

ATTN: HEAD OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICE (HCO)

100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(d) A complete copy of all agency protest, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority.

(e) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230

FAX: (202) 482-5858

1352.233-71 GAO AND COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS PROTESTS (APR 2010)

(a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed.

(b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims.

(c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows:

U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230

FAX: (202) 482-5858

(End of clause)

11. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

In addition to the inspection and acceptance terms articulated in 52.212-4, the Government reserves the right to perform such performance tests and evaluations as defined below to verify specified system performance. Such tests and evaluations, if performed, shall be conducted within the environment that the system is to be operated. The Contractor has the right to be present during the tests and evaluations, if performed, at the Contractor’s expense.

12. INSTRUCTIONS:

12.1 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT REGISTRATION

In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) prior to award. Refusal to register shall forfeit award.

12.2 DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS

Offerors shall submit their quotations so that NIST receives them not later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 13th, 2016. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall be accepted at Christopher.mcgucken@nist.gov and Lynda.Roark@nist.gov. If e-mailed, please reference the RFQ number in the subject line of email communications. Offerors quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered in the e-mail inbox set forth above.

12.3 QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS, ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1

1) PRICE QUOTATION:

The offeror shall submit (1) one copy of the completed price schedule. The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror shall propose a firm-fixed-price, FOB Destination, for each CLIN. Contractor shall state express warranty coverage. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due.

2) TECHNICAL QUOTATION:

The offeror shall submit one (1) copy of the technical quotation. The technical quotation shall address the following areas:

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY:

The offeror shall provide documentation that demonstrates that the equipment shall be capable of meeting or exceeding the system requirements. The offeror shall submit a technical description or product literature for the equipment it is proposing, which clearly identifies the manufacturer, make and model. The offeror must demonstrate that its proposed equipment meets or exceeds each minimum requirement described in section 3 by providing a citation to the relevant section of its technical description or product literature. The contractor shall not simply state they will meet the requirement: evidence must be provided for each requirement. If standard product literature and/or technical descriptions do not address all required specifications, offerors must provide narratives and or explanation of the work that will be performed to meet the requirement(s). All proposed work must be addressed in sufficient detail that all technical requirements are discussed and that the intended outcome of the work can be clearly discerned.

IF THE OFFEROR DOES NOT SUBMIT PRODUCT LITERATURE/TECHNICAL

DESCRIPTION, OR APPROPRIATE SUPPLIMENTARY NARRATIVE FOR ALL

REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS, NIST WILL DETERMINE THAT IT DOES NOT

MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.

ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS (ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1 (B)

(11)): THIS IS AN OPEN-MARKET SOLICITATION FOR EQUIPMENT AS

DEFINED HEREIN. THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO AWARD A PURCHASE

mailto:Christopher.mcgucken@nist.gov mailto:Lynda.Roark@nist.gov

ORDER AS A RESULT OF THIS SOLICITATION THAT WILL INCLUDE THE

CLAUSES SET FORTH HEREIN. THE QUOTATION SHALL INCLUDE ONE OF

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS:

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition."

OR

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:

Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)

Note: This procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price.

However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offerors FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation.

The Dun and Bradstreet Number (DUNS number) for the quoter’s active System for Award Management (SAM) registration. Quoters must have an active registration at www.SAM.Gov to receive an award.

Quoters shall include a completed copy of the attached provision, “Representation by Corporations Regarding an Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction Under Any Federal Law (Class Deviation) (March 2015)” with their quotation.

12.4 QUOTATION EVALUATION:

EVALUATION FACTORS:

Award will be made to the offeror whose quotation offers the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: 1.) Technical Capability, and 2.) Price. Technical Capability and Price will be approximately equal in importance.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY:

All items must be new. Prototypes, used or refurbished instruments will not be considered for award. Evaluation of technical capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation. NIST will evaluate whether the offeror has demonstrated that its proposed equipment meets or exceeds all system requirements as described in section 3. Quotations that do not demonstrate the proposed equipment meets all requirements will not be considered further for award. If an offeror does not indicate whether its proposed equipment meets a certain minimum requirement, NIST will determine that it does not.

1. REQUIREMENTS OF THE OPTICAL SYSTEM (3.2.2): Additional technical merit will be assigned to offers whose systems objective lenses exceed the minimum requirement with a higher numerical aperture than 0.90 at 50x, and 0.95 at 100x when operated in air.

2. REQUIREMENTS OF THE OPTICAL SYSTEM (3.2.4): Additional technical merit will be assigned to offers whose systems with lateral resolutions below the minimum requirement of 140nm.

3. REQUIREMENTS OF THE SAMPLE ILLUMINATION AND IMAGE ACQUISITION

SYSTEM (3.3.1): Additional technical merit will be given to systems whose wavelengths shorter than the minimum requirement of 480nm.

PRICE

The Government reserves the right to award to other than the lowest-price offer, and will award on a best value basis considering the factors described above. The Government will evaluate offers for price reasonableness.